Interactive Read Aloud
Interactive read aloud is a key component of a balanced literacy classroom. During this activity, the teacher reads aloud a carefully selected text to students. As she reads, the teacher pauses at pre-planned intervals to talk or invite interaction about the text. Interactive read aloud is meant to be an active process for both the reader and the listeners. During the interactive read aloud, teachers and students:
- Think about the text
- Talk about the text
- Respond to the text
Interactive read aloud provides a wide range of benefits to students including:
- Models what fluent reading sounds like
- Expands vocabulary
- Strengthens use of oral and written language
- Provides opportunity to practice using comprehension strategies like inferring, connecting, questioning, and synthesizing
- Builds background knowledge
- Introduces students to new authors, series, genres
